Is This It (2001) — The Strokes
Posted 9/15/25YEAH!!! This was incredible. Tens across the board.
This album really scratched an itch in me. It's genuinely hard to believe it's a debut. Everything about it felt so cathartic, and the energy flowing from start to finish was alive and breathing.
There's a playfulness here that is so enjoyable to be a part of. It made me feel like a teenager again. To capture and recreate such a palpable feeling of freedom in music is a feat. This album is eternal youth stored within 35 minutes.
The songwriting is honest and raw. Little vignettes are being painted in each line. That storytelling, paired with genuinely inventive production and music, makes something singular.
I feel a new artist obsession brewing within me. The Strokes better watch out because I'm coming for their discography. I've wanted to get into Garage Rock for a while, but so many of the albums I've listened to were slightly different copies of each other. This was the cream of the crop. Excellent album.